Three months ago, Danielle Horvat made her Neighbours debut as one half of Erinsborough High double act Jess and Taylah. With Jess now gone, Taylah is moving on with a new partner in crime, beginning a relationship with Zeke Kinski. Here, actress Danielle Horvat chats about how she won the role, and what's in store for her character...

Had you done much acting before joining Neighbours in 2007? Yes i have done acting classes for 3 years prior to Neighbours, but it remained to be my first professional experience. :)

How did the role of Taylah come about? Was it just a typical audition for you? I recieved a phone call from my agent to audition for the character of Taylah, but at that stage she was only meant to be there for 6 weeks, playing the side-kick of Jessica Wallace. The audition process for Taylah was similar to any other audition. I had learnt the script provided and gave it my best, being fortunate enough to audition in front of Jan Russ. In a week's time, I recieved a phone call that I was successful in getting the part of Taylah.

How would you describe Taylah? On the surface Taylah is portrayed as that typical youthful school girl, who enjoys the company of her friends and loves to have fun. I think the significance of her character is that a lot of young girls can relate to her. However, it is slowly revealed when Taylah gives Rachel advice to be grateful for the family she has, that we learn of her abandonement from her mother and the not-so-strong relationship she has with her dad.

Has there been anyone you’ve particularly enjoyed working with during your time on the show? Of course. Most of the scenes I had were alongside the other teenagers, particularly Matthew (Zeke) as on screen we played boyfriend and girlfriend. They've made my time on Neighbours the funniest and most enjoyable as not only could I learn from them, but I could actually relate to them. I've also been fortunate enough to work a little bit with Brendan O'Connor (Brad; Taylah's father) as well as Alan Fletcher (Karl Kennedy).

What is it like to work alongside such an established cast? At first it was breath-taking just being in the same room as them! But once you've been there for a couple of weeks you feel almost a part of the family. I think that the standard of actors that are cast in Neighbours is what makes the show so successful, and I've learnt so much just from watching them.

Which of Taylah’s stories did you most enjoy filming and why? Honestly, I would have to say some of my upcoming scenes, which I can't give to much away about. They tend to give Taylah much more depth. Also, by this stage I felt quite familiarised by her character and therefore I was able to handle the intensity of them.

Did you have any input into Taylah’s ‘look’ or personality or was it all down to the writers and wardrobe? The writers and wardrobe created the dimensions of Taylah, and had initially planned out her input towards the teen scenes. They gave me 2-dimensions of Taylah, but the responsibility was left up to me to make that 3rd dimension in which she comes to life.

Have you ever been a Neighbours viewer yourself? Actually Neighbours has always been a show that is on the TV in our house. I used to watch it all the time when i was younger.

With Taylah appearing on a recurring basis, has there been any discussion about making her into a more permanent character? Are you still filming at the moment? No, I'm not filming at the moment, but with the way that the stories were unfolded, there is always a possibility for Taylah in the future.

What do you do in your time away from Neighbours? Do you find time for other acting roles? I have just finished filming a pilot episode of a sitcom, which includes a great cast and was actually quite funny during production. I have also recently auditioned for a couple of established TV shows, which look exciting. Fingers crossed!

Finally, after more than 23 years, what do you think is the secret to Neighbours’ enduring success? I think that its storylines try to be as real and believable as possible, and aren't overly exaggerated. Also, as I mentioned before, a lot of credit must go to the actual cast in the past and present, which make it what it is.

They say you can’t choose your family. And when you live in the middle of nowhere and the street light that passes for the town has a population of seven, Snake Tales proves that you can’t choose your friends either.

Tiger Rose Johnson (Cecilia Peters), 14, is mature beyond her years, smart, hard-working and quick-witted, but she knows little about normal teenage life. On the other hand, Skye Sailendra (Danielle Horvat), also 14, was raised in the bustling metropolis of London, surrounded by friends, boutique shops and a constant stream of admirers.

A twist of fate sees these two incompatible girls begrudgingly sharing a bedroom. The only thing they have in common is their desire to get as far away from the snake park and their eccentric, embarrassing families as possible.

Tiger’s father, “Snakeman Jake” (Peter Rowsthorn), is a larger than life snake wrangler who dreams of the glory days when he had his own TV spot and visitors flocked to his Snake-Atorium-Orama. Meanwhile Skye’s mother, Miranda (Leah Vandenberg), is a vegetarian spiritualist who likes to perform Reiki on the snakes to help them let go of their deadly instincts.

Snake Tales premieres on Nine at 10.30am Saturday September 5

NOTE above states the Characters age NOT the Actors!

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Laughs on a new scaleEmail Printer friendly version Normal font Large font Michael DwyerSeptember 10, 2009

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Peter Rowsthorn relishes hamming it up as a wildlife-obsessed dad in his new series, Snake Tales.Photo: SuppliedTHE showbiz adage about kids and animals goes double when you're talking about snakes. "Can't stand them," says Ann Darrouzet, who still harbours the memory of a python in the shed of her childhood home in Queensland.

But the producer of Holly's Heroes, Horace & Tina and Raw FM knows a good idea for a kids' TV series when she brainstorms one, especially when veteran comedy writer Brendan Luno (D Gen, Fast Forward) is laughing too.

They dreamt up Snake Tales, she says, over memories of childhood visits to the Big Pineapple, the Big Banana, the Big Cow and other outsized tourist monuments in her home state.

It was a rhetorical suggestion of Luno's, "imagine growing up in one", that sparked the 13-part series that screens on Nine.

"At the time we came up with the concept Steve Irwin was still alive and, especially in North Queensland, you do get those very big personalities," producer and co-creator Darrouzet says. "It's those kinds of large characters who can create humour."

The idea of Peter Rowsthorn playing such a character — a wildlife obsessive barely providing for two kids, a Vietnamese mini-me and a family of British blow-ins in an outback tourist trap — was enough incentive to override her phobia. Not that she went anywhere near the snakes, she adds.

For Rowsthorn, his role as OTT ringmaster Jake Johnson presented different challenges. He was happy to let the show's resident carpet snake fall asleep on his head. He was more haunted by the phone calls he used to get from Tony Martin and Mick Molloy when he made his last children's show, The Gift, in Perth in 1997.

"It was on at four o'clock in the afternoon and they'd watch it while they were on air," he says. "They'd ring me during the show. 'What the hell are you up to? What are you wearing that stupid outfit for?'

"So here it is, 12 years later, but I'm wearing another stupid outfit and cheesing around again."

He's no stranger to the subtle end of the comedy spectrum. As Brett Craig on Kath & Kim, Rowsthorn defines the slow death of the henpecked suburban husband with agonising restraint.

But when you're in bright yellow Harry Butler get-up, wriggling on your belly in the dirt trying to attract an escaped taipan before it bites one of the customers, there's little room for nuance.

"The best thing about a really good series is that no one's really acting like they're in one," he says. "But then sometimes you're forced, by the nature of the costume you're wearing, the set you're in, the scenes that you're put into, suddenly to go – big!